Malawi Ombudsperson orders arrest of public servants in ‘botched’ tractor deal

Sabre rattling, Malawi’s Ombudsperson, Martha Chimuza-Mwagonde has ordered the arrest of hordes of top civil servants who sat on the government Internal Procurement Committee(IPC) and decided to dispose off177 tractors and 144 maize shellers meant forsmall farmersat nominal prices.

Ombudsperson Chizuma Mwangonde: Orders arrest
Ombudsperson Chizuma Mwangonde: Orders arrest

Those facing prosecution are from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC).

In a 48-page report released last week and submitted to the Speaker of parliament RichardMsowoya, a beneficiary himself, Chimuza-Mwagonde said the sale was both illegal and irregular.

The report titled “The Present, The Future Overburdened” cited nine instances of gross maladministration ranging from how the Loan Authorization bill was rushed through parliament, how civil servants took oral orders from the Presidency, archaic financial record keeping at the ministry of finance to how members of the IPC failed to declare conflict of interests.

Chimuza-Mwagonde, whose appointment is at the behest of the President, also chided the government for procuring obsolete and archaic equipment arguing it was maladministration of the highest order.

The government’s Chief Mechanical Engineer, Dr. Hendrix Kazembe said the Sonalika Tractors, which the Ministry of Finance procured illegally acting as a procurement entity, were built using an archaic technology from the 1970s.

“The officials who were members of IPC presided over the sale of the farm machinery and benefitted from the sale should be prosecuted in accordance with the Procurement Act. I will write the Director of Public of Prosecutions in accordance with Section 126 (c) of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi,” Chimuza-Mwagonde said.

If convicted the public servants, apart from losing their jobs, they face a $60 fine and or two years in jail.

Malawi’s Procurement Act Section 19 demands that any person who is sitting in an IPC and acquire an interest in a matter that is to be determined, needs to declare their interests and recuse themselves and are not to take part in the deliberations.

The tractors and shellers were part of a $50-million (R695m) development scheme set up to buffer millions of peasant farmers from drought.

Funded by a loan from the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank), the government’s scheme dubbed Green Belt Initiative (GBI) sought to put about a million hectares of farmland under irrigation and improve food security for peasant farmers, who make up 70% of the population.

One starling observation which the office of the Ombudsman unearthed is that the Ministry of Finance used the Indian based Apollo International for all the contracts that fell under the three line of credits from the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank).

These are: The first loan agreement dated 14th May, 2008 between Malawi government and Export Import Bank of India for a loan amounting to $30,000,000.This loan was to be used for financing supply of irrigation, storage, tobacco threshing plant and One Village One Product.

The Second loan agreement was dated 1st February, 2011 betweengovernment of Malawi and the same Export and Import Bank ofIndia for a total amount of $50,000,000 for the purposes of financingcotton processing facilities, GBI and one village one product OVOP inMalawi.

Lastly, the third loan was signed on 13th December, 2012 between government of Malawi and Export and Import Bank of India for the sum of $76,500,000 for the purposes of financing development of irrigation network under the GBI, setting up of refined sugar processing equipment in Salima under greenbelt initiative and development of fuel storage facilities in Malawi.

“On procurement method used to identify Apollo, it is not very clear if the procurement process was done accordingly because MoF could notprovide the minutes of the IPC and other tender documents,” the report noted.

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Khima
Khima
7 years ago

For once in Malawi tayambako kumva kuti people are being made accountable to their decisions and subsquently face rule of law. This country is in a mess because no one fears to disregard procedures or even the law. Thumb up madam, finyani mbava zi

Malawi
Malawi
7 years ago

Madam Mwangonde.

This is a good start but read about the public protector in South Africa Thuli Madonsela and how she took Zuma to task over what has been named the State Capture Report alleging that the Gupta Family influenced state decisions. This was a no nonsense public protector matching words with action. Take the tractor gate officials to task.

NAMAME WAMKULU
NAMAME WAMKULU
7 years ago

IFE A MALAWI TATOPA NAWO A NDALE OKUBA NGATI AWA AND DONT PUBLISH ABOUT THE INTENDED ARRESTS WHY CANNT U JUST GO STRAIGHT AND ARREST THEM TIZIMVA ZOKUTHAITHA

Mndambala Boy
Mndambala Boy
7 years ago

Koma zitheka?

kanjedza
kanjedza
7 years ago

ODPP should bar Apollo from participating in any procurement process for the next five years. Also investigate the supply of heavy materials handling equipment supplied to PVHO during the same period. Why did PVHO not buy from the manufacturers in India who can give training , back up and spares. Millions of kwacha worth of new equipment is lying idle for want of the above

chimzimu Chonyasa
7 years ago

Shaaa! The tractors were shared as retirement benefits by most of top civil servants. Take them on Madam! These are not different from thieves and wizards who want Malawians to die of hunger

muesli
muesli
7 years ago

Arrest arrest chani za maxxx pamalawi Pano amamangana olo if you get arrested and thrown into prison just show good behaviour zako ziyenda bwino

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